


take me into your loving arms

by takesmeunder



Series: Thinking Out Loud [1]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Just making that clear, M/M, the niall/barbara isn't romantic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-12
Updated: 2014-07-12
Packaged: 2018-02-08 12:02:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1940307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/takesmeunder/pseuds/takesmeunder
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Niall goes out on a date. Harry helps him get ready. Barbara offers advice that Niall's not ready to hear.</p>
            </blockquote>





	take me into your loving arms

**Author's Note:**

> This is a friends with benefits University AU. There will be a series of one shots written out of order to tell the story. Harry has a journal that he keeps in this fic. You can find the quotes he writes in his journal [here.](http://niallharold.tumblr.com/tagged/harry's_journal)
> 
> There are also some prompts that I won't turn into one shots, mostly because I feel there's not enough of a story to tell. You can find everything I answer in regards to this verse [here.](http://niallharold.tumblr.com/tagged/verse:_thinking_out_loud)

_**Harry** _

 

Harry watches as Niall paces around his dorm room, holding different shirts up to his chest before tossing them on the bed. He’s being selfish at the moment, not wanting Niall to go out on a date with anyone. He continues to watch as Niall gets increasingly more frantic, finally storming angrily around the room in just his underwear.

“Niall,” Harry finally speaks up, pushing himself up off the couch. If Niall’s going to go out with someone, Harry might as well try and help him out, push aside his own feelings and perhaps get Niall laid by someone that isn’t him. His chest tightens at the thought, but he pushes past it with a small smile. “I’ll help you choose something, yeah? C’mon.”

“You’re a blessin’, Harry Styles,” Niall says, grabbing Harry’s head and smacking a wet kiss against his cheek. “Barbara’s so fit, honestly. Can’t believe she asked me out.”

Harry swallows past the vile building up at the back of his throat, and grabs one of the only shirts left in Niall’s closet. “Wear this with a white t-shirt underneath,” he says before turning to Niall’s dresser. “Wear these trousers, they make your arse look nice. Oh, and those black Vans you have will pull it all together nicely.”

Niall’s staring at him from the door of his bedroom, and for a terrifying second Harry thinks he’s going to burst into tears. “I don’t know what I’d do without you,” is what comes instead, and Harry’s heart skips a beat.

“Reckon you wouldn’t get laid as much,” Harry says, replying with something safe.

Niall pulls a t-shirt on before sitting on the bed to get his pants on. “Just think, if this date works out, you might not have to have sex with this ugly mug any more. You’ll be free.”

“Back to late nights trying to pull at bars, and bringing them back to my shared dorm. Can’t wait,” Harry says sarcastically.

“Oh, please,” Niall answers, spinning around from where he’s trying to shove his foot into his shoe. “Don’t act like it’s so hard to be you. There’s plenty of people who would probably kill to see you naked. Your jeans do absolutely nothing to hide how big your dick is.”

Harry flushes a nice shade of pink at that, dropping his head to frown at his lower half. “Whatever you say, mate.”

“Should I bring flowers?” Niall asks, beginning to sound panicked again. “Girls like flowers, right? Even _you_ like flowers.”

“I feel like I should be insulted so I’m choosing to ignore that last comment,” says Harry. “If you bring her flowers, what exactly is she going to do with them throughout the date? You said you’re meeting her at the restaurant right?”

Niall nods.

“Okay. So you two sit down to have a lovely dinner, and there’s nowhere to put the flowers. The tables beside you are all filled and you can’t exactly flag down the waiter to ask for an extra chair for her bouquet. Yes, some people like flowers. But not on the first date, especially when you’re not meeting at their house,” finishes Harry, taking a breath before dropping back down on the couch.

“Hair up or down?” Niall asks.

Harry snorts. “Down. I’ve always preferred your hair with the fringe. But then again, it’s easier to grab onto when there’s no product in it.”

Niall seems to consider this for a moment before he grabs his coat. “Okay. Think I’m ready.”

Harry leans over the back of the couch and whistles loudly. He quite enjoys the blush that creeps up Niall’s neck. “Looking good, Mr. Horan. Reckon you could pull tonight, if you saw fit.”

“That’s the goal,” Niall says with a grin. “Are you, uh, gonna be here when I get back?”

“Might do, if that’s okay with you. I’ll obviously be on the couch though. I don’t think having a lad in your bed when you bring her home would go over so well,” Harry says, and he’s a little scared Niall’s going to tell him to leave.

“That’s fine,” is what Niall says instead. “I’ll try to be quiet, yeah? Save the fun till we reach the bedroom.”

Niall checks his phone and curses when he sees the time. “I took too long getting ready. I’ve gotta go. Haz? Thanks, for like, helping me and stuff.”

“That’s what friends are for,” Harry says, hoping that Niall can’t tell his smile is forced. “Have a good time.”

“Will do,” Niall says, and Harry thinks he sees some hesitance in Niall’s eyes, but then it’s gone and so is Niall, the door closing shut and leaving Harry alone in Niall’s dorm room.

Harry face plants onto the couch and gazes blearily at the television. He wants nothing more than to go and curl up in Niall’s bed, wrap the sheets around him like a cocoon and wait for Niall to return. But this isn’t a fairy-tale, and Harry knows that.

He ends up falling asleep on the couch, the TV blaring some infomercial that Harry doesn’t care about. His last thoughts before darkness consumes him is that he really hopes Niall and his friend don’t wake him up when they come up. The last thing he wants to hear is the person he’s in love with, fucking someone else.

 

* * *

 

_**Niall** _

By the time Niall gets to the restaurant, he’s nearly ten minutes late and it’s started to rain. So, not only is he late for his first date with Barbara, but he also looks like a drowned rat. He can already hear Harry laughing at him when he tells him.

Niall shakes his head, hand still on the door to the restaurant. He promised himself that he wasn’t going to think about Harry, and that’s exactly what he’s going to do. He’s going on this date so he can prove to Harry that he can be more than a fuck buddy. Not that Harry’s interested, of course. He made it valiantly clear when they started this that he wasn’t looking for a relationship. Niall wasn’t either, at the time. As usual, Niall’s the one to go and cock it all up. What Harry doesn’t know, won’t hurt either of them.

When he opens the door, it takes only a few seconds before he spots Barbara at the corner table flicking through a menu. She’s already ordered them drinks, and Niall feels even guiltier for being late.

“Hi, I am so, so sorry I’m late,” Niall says as he slides into the booth across from her. He has to stop himself from scrunching up his nose at the strong scent of her perfume. Harry had told him ages ago he didn’t like strong cologne, so he never wears it now.

There he goes again, thinking about Harry. He really needs to focus.

Barbara looks up as Niall settles into the seat, and Niall really wishes he could stop comparing her eyes to Harry’s. “It’s alright. Looks like you got caught in the rain. I left early enough that I just missed it.”

“Yeah,” Niall says dumbly, reaching across the table to grab a menu. “My friend Harry will get a kick out of it when I tell him.”

“Harry Styles, right?” Barbara asks. “The one with the curls?”

“That’s the one,” Niall says with a smile on his face. Thinking of Harry always brings a smile to his face, he really needs to get that under control.

Barbara puts down her menu and takes a sip of her drink. “You guys are together a lot. On campus and stuff.”

Niall tries not to read too much into what Barbara’s saying. “Yeah, he’s my best mate, and he tutors me in some of my courses. Not too bright, me.”

Barbara’s hand comes out to rest on top of Niall’s wrist, and he has to restrain himself from moving back. “You’re plenty smart, Niall Horan. Maybe just not in the right ways.”

Niall doesn’t have time to question what she means by that, because the waiter comes over to take their orders. To his surprise, Barbara orders the biggest burger on the menu and when he looks over at her, she’s got a raised eyebrow as if she’s challenging him.

“Same as her, then,” Niall says as he hands off his menu. “You’re not what I was expecting.”

Barbara shrugs. “Good. I like to keep people on their toes. It’s more fun that way.”

They talk about school and what they want to do after they graduate until their food arrives. Then it’s a race to see who can finish their disgustingly large amount of food first.

Barbara wins by a bite, wiping her mouth with a napkin before leaning back against the booth. “Close one. Almost had me there.”

Niall groans and puts a hand on his stomach. “Harry’s never going to let me hear the end of this.”

“You talk about him a lot, you know,” Barbara says a few minutes later.

”Well, he is my best mate. Course I’m gonna talk about him,” Niall says, aiming for nonchalant.

Barbara stares at him for a few seconds. “It’s okay to love someone, Niall.”

Niall nearly spits out his drink, barely managing to cover his mouth. “Sorry, what?”

“It’s the way you light up when you talk about, you know? Your eyes go all bright, and you just become more animated. I was in love before, I know what it looks like,” Barbara replies.

“I haven’t a clue what you’re on about,” Niall tries. If Barbara can see it after being with Niall for an hour for dinner, who else has? God, if he’s been being so obvious, why is Harry so clueless?

It hits him then that maybe Harry has noticed, and just doesn’t care. The thought makes his heart hurt.

“Maybe you should tell him?” Barbara suggests. “He might feel the same.”

Niall shakes his head. “It’s not-, that’s not what we do,” he feels trapped all of a sudden. “We’re just mates.”

Barbara nods her head and then reaches for her purse. “I did have a lovely time, Niall. Perhaps we can be friends? You seem like a nice lad.”

Niall curses internally. “I had a great time as well. I’m sorry that I ruined it,” he says as he fishes out his wallet and pays for their dinner.

“Oh, love. You didn’t ruin anything,” Barbara says, gentle hand on Niall’s wrist. “I hope everything works out for you and Harry. You both deserve happiness, you know? It’s not right to deny yourself the simple pleasures.”

Niall wants to reply, to say something, anything, but the words get stuck in his throat.

Barbara gives him a smile that looks like pity. “It’s okay to be a little selfish, Niall. You’re allowed to love.”

“Thank you,” Niall manages to say. God, he needs to get out of here. “Walk you to your car? It’s a little late.”

“Such a gentlemen,” replies Barbara, reaching over and giving him a kiss on the cheek. “I’m only a little ways down the street.”

They walk to Barbara’s car and exchange a hug before she gets in. Niall’s about to turn and walk towards his own vehicle when she rolls the window down. “Remember, Niall. Everyone deserves love. Sometimes you just need to show others they do as well.”

Niall swallows and waves goodbye as she drives off.

When Niall gets home, he unlocks the front door and finds the dorm bathed in the blue light from the television. He slips off his shoes and flips the lock before walking over to the couch. Harry’s got his knees tucked up into his stomach with his arms curled around a pillow. Niall thinks he’s beautiful.

“Hazza,” Niall whispers, brushing Harry’s hair out of his face. “Hey, come to bed, yeah?”

Harry blinks up at him, eyes adjusting to the room. “Niall?” he croaks, voice thick with sleep. “Did you send your friend home already?”

Niall rubs a hand across the back of his neck. “Uh, she didn’t come back with me actually,” he says. “Neither of us were really into it.”

“I’m sorry, Nialler,” Harry says, sliding off the couch. “You’ll find someone else, yeah? You’re a catch.”

“C’mon, let’s go to bed,” says Niall, in lieu of replying to Harry’s statement. “Got a bit of a chill from the rain, could use a good cuddle.”

Harry shuffles across the floor and into Niall’s bedroom, barely managing to pull off his socks before he collapses face first into Niall’s pillows.

Niall strips off quickly, ignoring the way his heart beats faster at the sight of Harry sleep-soft and in his bed. He slides in beside him and holds out his arms. “All right if I’m the big spoon?”

Harry nods slowly and flips onto his other side, reaching behind him to grab Niall’s arm to bring it over his torso. Niall nuzzles his nose into the back of Harry’s neck and lets his hand fan out on Harry’s abdomen. “Warm,” he whispers, tugging Harry closer to his body.

“Mm,” Harry hums in reply, and Niall can already tell he’s close to sleep again. “Don’t let me go.”

Niall inhales sharply, fingers pressing into Harry’s skin. He knows that Harry means don’t stop cuddling him, but he wishes it were something more.

“Never,” Niall says softly, kissing Harry’s shoulder before he lets sleep take him.

**Author's Note:**

> The outfit Harry picked out for Niall can be found [here.](https://31.media.tumblr.com/06576d64da750332b68a1129e9804da7/tumblr_n8ko1hBcoH1s3nylio1_500.png)


End file.
